(9 p.m. CST update: Police now say the gunman told them he was ‘self-investigating’ PizzaGate.) A man with a rifle was reportedly taken into custody near the Comet Ping Pong pizza restaurant that has been targeted by the #PizzaGate conspiracy theory. There are no reports of injuries or shots fired. UPDATE: Report shots were fired: More at end of article: D.C. police say no apparent connection to PizzaGate controversy.

A North Carolina man was arrested Sunday after he walked into a popular pizza restaurant in Northwest Washington carrying an assault rifle and fired one or more shots, D.C. police said. The man told police he had come to the restaurant to “self-investigate” an election-related conspiracy theory involving Hillary Clinton that spread online during her presidential campaign.

The incident caused panic, with several businesses going into lockdown as police swarmed the neighborhood after receiving the call shortly before 3 p.m.

Police said 28-year-old Edgar Maddison Welch, of Salisbury, N.C., walked in the front door of Comet Ping Pong and pointed a firearm in the direction of a restaurant employee. The employee was able to flee and notify police. Police said Welch proceeded to discharge the rifle inside the restaurant.”

https://twitter.com/erika_news/status/805534813893562368

“#Breaking: Suspect in Comet Ping Pong incident fired more than one shot inside, but no patrons hurt “

https://twitter.com/bayreef/status/805503656737067010

“@asmamk guy just walked in comet Pizza with shotgun”

https://twitter.com/dasTurbo/status/805504308980711425

“Uh, there’s a guy with a gun at Comet pizza apparently. Just saw SWAT run by.”

https://twitter.com/KirbyReitz/status/805511895377711104

“Was walking to CVS when people came out of Comet Pizza. Employee mentioned possible gunmen. Serious police presence within minutes.”

…In early November, as Wikileaks steadily released piles of emails from Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta, one contact caught the attention of prankster sites and people on the paranoid fringes.

James Alefantis is the owner of Comet Ping Pong, a pizza restaurant in Washington. He’s also a big Democratic Party supporter and raised money for both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. He was once in a relationship with David Brock, an influential liberal operative.

Alefantis – who’s never met Clinton – appeared in the Podesta emails in connection with the fundraisers.
And from these thin threads, an enormous trove of conspiracy fiction was spun…”

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